Horklump
The Horklump is a magical beast which resembles a fleshy pink mushroom covered in sparse, coarse black bristles. Despite its appearance, it is not a plant or fungus, but an animal. Nature Physiology and ecology Horklumps originated in Scandinavia, but eventually spread throughout northern Europe, and could be found in Scotland by 1991. They resemble fleshy pink mushrooms covered in a sparse scattering of coarse black bristles. Despite their fungi-like appearance, Horklumps are animals. Their preferred prey is the earthworm, which they hunt using the thin, muscular tentacles that they spread underground (similar to how fungi spread mycelia). Horklumps are very fast breeders and could cover an average-sized garden in only a few days. Horklumps are the favourite food of the gnome. Streeler venom is a known substances that can kill Horklumps. — An A-Z of Fantastic Beasts (Streeler) Use by and interaction with humans ]] Horklumps had no discernible use to wizards and witches, according to the famous magizoologist Newt Scamander, and were given the classification "XX" ("harmless / may be domesticated") by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. However, their juice was used in a range of potions,Horklump juice information in the apothecary on including the Wiggenweld Potion. and Herbicide Potion. It is rumoured that Honoria, the aunt of Albus Dumbledore, called off her engagement to a wizard because she was shocked to catch him in the act of fondling some Horklumps (although she insisted it was because he was cold-hearted). In his book Marauding with Monsters, Gilderoy Lockhart wrote of how he once supposedly visited some fans in rural Essex, and helped clear a path through their Horklump-infested yard. Afterward, the fans allegedly offered him some of their homemade Celery and Beetroot Wine in gratitude, which he graciously declined. However, like most of Lockhart's accounts, this story may have been greatly exaggerated or completely fabricated. Lockhart recommended the following method for removing a Horklump in his book Marauding with Monsters: hitting it with a Knockback Jinx, taking a firm hold of it, and then twisting and yanking it out of the ground. Behind the scenes *Even though they are labelled as X by the Ministry of Magic Classification, which would mean they are completely inoffensive, the poisonous gas which they release is shown to be significantly dangerous in the Goblet of Fire video game and in the PC version of Chamber of Secrets. However, this ability does not appear or is mentioned in any other source of canon. *Given their ability to overrun gardens within days and attract problem species, Horklumps are likely viewed as pests by Wizardkind. If this is true then it may explain why gnomes became so common in the first place; biological control is the control of a pest population's size by introducing the appropriate predator or parasite and so gnomes may have been introduced by wizards and witches to their gardens to rid them of Horklumps in the past before the gnomes themselves turned pest (a danger of this method of pest control). *Although Horklumps are referred to as pink in , they have also been spotted in other media of the franchise in other colours (such as the yellow or green Horklumps of the games). These may represent mutant breeds, though it is also possible that it is one of the many mistakes made whenever Harry Potter is presented in a non-book form. Appearances * * * * * * * * Notes and references es:Horklump ru:Мурлокомль fr:Horglup it:Horklump pl:Chorbotek de:Horklump pt:Tolete nl:Horklump no:Mølkladd pt-br:Tolete Category:Beasts Category:Creatures from Scandinavia Category:Folio Bruti entries Category:X Creatures